By Barbara Ross, Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art

The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art’s free Studio Ohr event for the month of April was held on Saturday, April 7, 2012.  Talented members of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Long Beach, Mississippi held a special Pysanky egg decorating workshop and donated all of the supplies that were used.  The event was covered on local television station, WLOX.

Pysanky is the traditional Ukrainian folk art of decorating eggs using a wax-resist, or batik, method. The word “pysanky” is derived from the verb pysaty,” meaning “to write” and refers specifically to eggs decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs.  Once only made at Easter, Ukrainian Easter eggs are now made year long by people all over the world.

Designs are not painted on the eggs, but written with beeswax to protect the covered areas from the dye that is applied. By repeating this process with various dye colors, the result is a multi-colored pattern.  The wax is then removed to reveal colors that were covered up at each stage of decoration. Symbols and colors are rich in meaning and many pre-date the arrival of Christianity.

The event was well-attended by members of the Mississippi Gulf Coast community.  Visitors watched accomplished decorators at work and were able to try their hands at the skilled craft.